What's The Deal With Guinea Pig Harnesses?

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So ridiculous! That smiley is pretty much exactly my face when I picked up my "used" pigs from the family they used to live with. They gave me these faux leather jackets that doubled as harnesses when I picked them up. Even had fur around the collar! I think it's a bad idea that someone came up with for kids and their guinea pigs. I mean, it wouldn't take much of a pull on the lead to break a guinea pig. I have a harness that I used to use for my rabbit when I first got her and I only purchased it because I could attach a tag to it with my number etc. if she ever got away from me when she was out in the yard. But I heard so many horror stories of the rabbits panicking and breaking their own backs in struggles to remove the harness that I don't use it anymore and if she ever got loose she has a tattoo from the breeder in her ear so I would have to rely on that. Yikes!
 
I am totally against them. Guinea pigs are prey animals and should not be forced to be taken for walks. I have heard of guinea pigs breaking their spines by running to get away from something that scared them while being attached. I write bad reviews on them on Amazon to let people know how dangerous they are. I cannot believe companies are allowed to make something so cruel and dangerous. I wish they were banned.
 
@Jennifer D They're so stupid! & your right, they sound so dangerous! I was sitting here for like 10 minutes thinking..."when the hell would a harness and lead for a guinea pig ever come in handy?!...I'm gunna need to go ask this!" lol I bet your right! I bet it was just about "entertaining" kids. eugh. Can you not get rabbits microchipped like dogs or are they too little? Is it legal to tattoo a rabbit? that sounds horrible! :| Yeah, i wouldnt use it either & what if they got the harness caught on something and panicked?
 
piggyfan said:
I am totally against them. Guinea pigs are prey animals and should not be forced to be taken for walks. I have heard of guinea pigs breaking their spines by running to get away from something that scared them while being attached. I write bad reviews on them on Amazon to let people know how dangerous they are. I cannot believe companies are allowed to make something so cruel and dangerous. I wish they were banned.
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I know, I was wondering because they sounds really dangeous to me too, but they're absolutely everywhere! haha, good on ye! You sounds like me. I do that when places sell sand as bedding for lizards because of how dangerous it is. It's horrible that so many pet shops sell stuff that can actually kill the animals it's been designed for. :(
 
Coco&Luna said:
@Jennifer D They're so stupid! & your right, they sound so dangerous! I was sitting here for like 10 minutes thinking..."when the hell would a harness and lead for a guinea pig ever come in handy?!...I'm gunna need to go ask this!" lol I bet your right! I bet it was just about "entertaining" kids. eugh. Can you not get rabbits microchipped like dogs or are they too little? Is it legal to tattoo a rabbit? that sounds horrible! :| Yeah, i wouldnt use it either & what if they got the harness caught on something and panicked?
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Apparently you can microchip a rabbit but when I got her from the breeder she already had her tattoo. They do it the same way that they do dogs, under anaesthesia so the rabbit doesn't feel a thing- I seriously doubt they could hold the rabbit still long enough to etch a sweet tat! Lol! Do they tattoo dogs in the UK like they do here? I've never thought about it. It's commonplace here for them to have a tattoo in their ear. Mine have all received their tattoos when they get spayed. and... WHAT'S WRONG WITH SAND FROM THE PET STORE?! Now I'm all panicked as I buy it for my pet quail to take their "dust baths" in!
 
Jennifer D said:
Apparently you can microchip a rabbit but when I got her from the breeder she already had her tattoo. They do it the same way that they do dogs, under anaesthesia so the rabbit doesn't feel a thing- I seriously doubt they could hold the rabbit still long enough to etch a sweet tat! Lol! Do they tattoo dogs in the UK like they do here? I've never thought about it. It's commonplace here for them to have a tattoo in their ear. Mine have all received their tattoos when they get spayed. and... WHAT'S WRONG WITH SAND FROM THE PET STORE?! Now I'm all panicked as I buy it for my pet quail to take their "dust baths" in!
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Nope, animals don't get tattoo'd here, I'm shocked that happens over there! I didnt know that! dogs and cats get microchipped but never tattooed. lol! dont worry! I'm only talking about sand for lizards because when they feed they tend to scoop up and eat the sand with it, which can gradually build up in the lizards stomach and solidify into a stone in their stomachs that they cant digest and pass and it kills them. I lost Leon (my bearded dragon) because this happened to him. :( but i'm sure your quail are fine! so dont worry! hahaha
 
piggyfan said:
They do not tattoo dogs here. Animals are microchiped including rabbits.
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Crazy! I never knew that! People microchip here as well but most people just do both. The SPCA keeps record of the tattoo and when they get a stray dog they can check that or a microchip.
 
i know! It seems such an unnecessary risk putting them under anaesthetic when they can just use the microchip. I think it's illegal here unless it's done by a vet because it's classed as a medical procedure, but even that's really unusual. lol
 
@Jennifer D racing greyhounds are tatoo'd in the ear in the UK if they are older ones and especially if they have come over from Ireland and it used to be common on dogs and horses in the ear till around 15 years ago, but micro chipping has taken over in popularity and I have not seen it on "pet" dogs for a long time. Some horse breeds (Exmoor) still have tattoos in the ear.
My greyhound who was born in 2006 had a tattoo in his ear and that was marked on his racing card/passport.
 
Coco&Luna said:
i know! It seems such an unnecessary risk putting them under anaesthetic when they can just use the microchip. I think it's illegal here unless it's done by a vet because it's classed as a medical procedure, but even that's really unusual. lol
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It's only done by the vet here as well-it would be ridiculous is just anyone could tattoo an animal! Although I don't doubt sick people do somewhere- and only ever done under anaesthesia when they are spayed or neutered. I don't know if they do both because a microchip could fail etc but all of mine have tattoos. Jimmy has both because the rescue microchipped him when they got him. They're sent home with pain meds when they're fixed so I'm sure the stitches hurt worse than the tattoo.
 
Jennifer D said:
It's only done by the vet here as well-it would be ridiculous is just anyone could tattoo an animal! Although I don't doubt sick people do somewhere- and only ever done under anaesthesia when they are spayed or neutered. I don't know if they do both because a microchip could fail etc but all of mine have tattoos. Jimmy has both because the rescue microchipped him when they got him. They're sent home with pain meds when they're fixed so I'm sure the stitches hurt worse than the tattoo.
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So wierd, I've never seen it before in my life. lol. ugh, it's probably the same with some horible people here too, like docking dogs tails.
 
I imagine they do both because otherwise you are relying on the person who finds the animal having a chip reader and also being able to locate the chip. You might not think that this would be a problem but a horse at the stables recently was checked by the vet who had been called to insert a microchip and was found to have 3 different microchip numbers!
 
Coco&Luna said:
So wierd, I've never seen it before in my life. lol. ugh, it's probably the same with some horible people here too, like docking dogs tails.
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We once had a pitbull come in for boarding that had had it's ears surgically removed because his owners were worried he would get into a fight and lose them. I had to put all this stuff into his ear canal because they were infected from not having any protection. THAT disgusted me. What a dumb reason to chop off your dogs' ears. All dogs fight and lots of dogs have floppy ears. Maybe there's a reason why no one else has removed their dogs' ears? Ugh. I've seen rescued pitties that come from dog fighting ring situations that have had their ears chopped but this was someone's pet that they had had since he was a puppy.
 
I recently gave my local pet store a right rollicking for selling them, spent about ten minutes yelling at the owner. I've not been back in but apparently they're not selling them now.... since they lost a customer (Moi! )
 
Oh now that is really sick @Jennifer D :(
I dont actually have a problem with dog or rabbit ear tattoos done whilst under GA for a surgical procedure but then I am older and maybe a bit old fashioned as i was used to seeing it in the 80s. I absolutely hate docked tails on dogs and "banged" tails on horses and was so so glad when "pricking" the ears of dog breeds to make them look "keen" was banned in the UK.

regarding the piggy harnesses, I know some people have used the "jacket" bits to great effect when a piggy has had mites to stop them scratching themselves so they are not totally useless. The idea of taking a guinea pig for a walk is quite ridiculous though.

I went to a girls boarding school and the House Mistress had a large white rabbit that she walked on a harness and lead, it was always kept in a 3ft hutch and had no run and I'm sure it was a giant breed I used to feel so sorry for it!
 
Jennifer D said:
We once had a pitbull come in for boarding that had had it's ears surgically removed because his owners were worried he would get into a fight and lose them. I had to put all this stuff into his ear canal because they were infected from not having any protection. THAT disgusted me. What a dumb reason to chop off your dogs' ears. All dogs fight and lots of dogs have floppy ears. Maybe there's a reason why no one else has removed their dogs' ears? Ugh. I've seen rescued pitties that come from dog fighting ring situations that have had their ears chopped but this was someone's pet that they had had since he was a puppy.
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Omfg jen, that's so horrible :( poor wee thing
 
Coco&Luna said:
Omfg jen, that's so horrible :( poor wee thing
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It was definitely ridiculous. The dog was actually pretty good with daycare. The one time a scrap happened, he peed on the floor and lay on his back with his belly out- scaredy cat :) They tended to be really hyper which was worse because it got all the dogs excited which would start little fights that he wasn't even a part of lol
 
@Goth Mummy I agree, the jackets can be amazing! little dotty and beanie taught me that lol.
but the harness & lead things are so rediculous. :hmm:

@Jennifer D Awwww! lol. i bloody love staffies and pitbulls. They have such great personalities, i've always wanted one! lol.
 
Coco&Luna said:
@Goth Mummy I agree, the jackets can be amazing! little dotty and beanie taught me that lol.
but the harness & lead things are so rediculous. :hmm:

@Jennifer D Awwww! lol. i bloody love staffies and pitbulls. They have such great personalities, i've always wanted one! lol.
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They can be really great dogs. But like any dog, they can turn out to be menaces! They're very active, focussed dogs and sometimes I wonder if people realize that.
 
@Coco&Luna I have actually been tempted to buy one of the harnesses with a jacket just for the jacket bit, in case I was ever unlucky enough to have issues like poor Dotty and Beanie. But I have seen other people use them, they are good for that at least.
have you seen those awful ones that are basically just string harnesses? My son found one in a shop for a hamster! A hamster! How would that ever, ever work?!
 
Goth Mummy said:
@Coco&Luna I have actually been tempted to buy one of the harnesses with a jacket just for the jacket bit, in case I was ever unlucky enough to have issues like poor Dotty and Beanie. But I have seen other people use them, they are good for that at least.
have you seen those awful ones that are basically just string harnesses? My son found one in a shop for a hamster! A hamster! How would that ever, ever work?!
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Hopefully you'd never ever have to get one of those! yeah that's true.
Oh god, no i havent....imagine trying to get that on! Hamsters are far to clever for that, they're ridiculously smart, they'd just just bite you before you even knew what was going on and dissapear like a fart in the wind....& I wouldn't blame them at all, hahaha.
 
I had two purebred dogs that both were tattooed... one on her inner lip, the other on her inner ear. It was done by the breeder as a mean of tracking the animal and as a means of returning them if lost (I still remember my second dog's serial number- UJD3Y.) This was done before microchips were available. I believe now microchipping is a lot more common.
 
Ear and tail docking is less common here (Ontario) than it used to be. I had Pembroke Welsh Corgis growing up and both of them had their tails docked as babies, long before we got them. It was part of the breed standard. Now I see more corgis with tails than without, although some breeders still dock them. My cousin has two Australian shepherds, both of whom came from the breeder already docked, and they are not that old! When they were actually working dogs, the docking served a purpose (for herding dogs, it made them less likely to be injured by not having a tail that could be trampled by cows or sheep), but obviously as a pet there isn't a need for it anymore.
 
Harnesses are absolutely awful. Piggies haven't got the backs to hold a harness, and their legs are too short. Most likely they will wriggle out of it, but if it's too tight they will be in pain.
If people want a pet to walk with a harness, then get a dog,
 
I made the mistake of buying a harness when I first got my piggys - Easter 2014. They hated it and jumped about and managed to wriggle free. Never used it again.
 
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